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Hair loss and Hair Transplants a European Perspective

January 11, 2018

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Myths about hair loss and how to find the right treatment for everyone!

My name is Dr. Christian Merkel and I am a board certified aesthetic dermatologist working in Munich, Germany and I am excited to share some insights of my daily work on this wonderful blog. Among other aesthetic treatments in my clinic I am responsible for clients suffering from alopecia. Healthy and beautiful hair is not only important in terms of appearance – it is also a telling sign of a healthy and balanced psyche. Let’s have a closer look at the most common questions during my consultations:

What is the cause of hair loss?

More than 90% of the cases show an androgenetic alopecia, also called common male or female baldness. But it is very important to separate spot baldness and other reasons like side effects of medications, malnutrition and hormonal imbalance. To get the right diagnose I take a very detailed blood sample and perform a hair analysis. Afterwards a specific treatment regimen for each patient needs to be found.

Are there any measures to do at home?

There are a lot of products available – but only a few of them really do work. Minoxidil for example is a vasoldilator medication and is nowadays used to treat hear loss. Applied once or twice a day this medication can stop alopecia. About 40% of the patients experience hair regrowth after six months. And as a specialist for nutritional medicine I need to say: Eat healthy! Your hair need nutrients like zinc, omega fatty acids and vitamin B3, B6 and B12.

Can Botox help to manage baldness?

Sometimes yes! In some cases the reason for hair loss are tense muscles in the scalp. Chronic tension resulting from stress can lead to an insufficient supply of blood, oxygen and nutrients. Botox is injected into tense scalp muscles around the forehead, temples and back of the head. The injections block the transmission of nerve impulses and allow blood vessels to apply the hair follicles without restriction.

What are other options for strong and vibrant hair?

Mesotherapy is another effective therapy against hair loss. An individual mixture of ingredients, combined according to the patients symptoms, are injected using fine microinjections which can hardly be felt. Hair regrowth begins after 2-3 months. The PRP therapy is another treatment for natural looking hair restoration. With an ultrathin needle your own platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is injected into the scalp. The PRP is also often used in addition to hair surgery.

What about a hair transplant?

A hair transplant is suitable for male and female patients of any age. The procedure is done under local anesthesia. Individual hairs are extracted from areas of robust hair growth, generally the crown at the back of the head, using microstamps. The extracted hair follicles are implanted into the scalp one by one with a tiny needle without the need of incision or scars. The first new hairs appear after 2-3 months and the final result is achieved after a year. With this modern FUE method you will achieve a totally natural result without scars or stitches. This method can be also used on men´s beard, eyebrows, eyelashes and pubic hair.

Dr. Christian Merkel is a Board Certified Dermatologist practicing out of Munich, Germanyram